SERVICES IN A CHANGING ECONOMIC-ENVIRONMENT

Starting from the current trend towards the convergence of increasingl y industrialised services and manufacturing sectors, this paper analys es the role which the environment plays in satisfying firms' new quali ty-based service requirements. In the neo-industrial age, the type of externalised service and the externalisation way can affect the relati onship between firms and economic environment. The combination of thes e factors influences the nature and the characteristics of the service requirements of large-scale firms and small and medium enterprises in a different manner. While large firms using advanced services may not usually be associated with a well-defined geographical area, SMEs usi ng standard services need to have recourse to new interorganisational solution.